Arizona State wide receiver Kyle Williams (6), runs into the end zone for a touchdown in front of California safety Thomas DeCoud (4) in the fourth quarter of a college football game Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won 31-20. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Photo: Paul Connors

Arizona State wide receiver Kyle Williams (6), runs into the end...

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California tight end Craig Stevens, right, makes a reception in front of Arizona State free safety Josh Barrett, left, in the first quarter of a college football game Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, in Tempe, Ariz.(AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Photo: Paul Connors

California tight end Craig Stevens, right, makes a reception in...

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California's Rulon Davis (94) forces Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter to fumble the ball during the first quarter of a college football game at Sun Devil Staduim Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, in Tempe, Ariz.. Cal's Cameron Jordan (97) returned the fumble for a touchdown. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Rob Schumacher)

California tailback Justin Forsett, right, eludes the tackle attempt of Arizona State free safety Rodney Cox, left, during the first quarter of a college football game Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, in Tempe, Ariz.(AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Photo: Paul Connors

California tailback Justin Forsett, right, eludes the tackle...

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California punt returner DeSean Jackson, top, fumbles the ball as he is tackled by Arizona State defender Chris Baloney, bottom, in the second quarter of a college football game Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State recovered the ball, but officials ruled Jackson down prior to the ball coming out. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Cal dropped a third straight football game for the first time since losing its opening 10 in the 1-10 2001 season, and the Bears are seemingly finding a new way to lose each week.

They didn't take advantage of two controversial calls and allowed Arizona State to dominate the second half of a 31-20 loss Saturday night at Sun Devil Stadium.

Cal jumped to a 20-7 lead only to stall repeatedly while the Sun Devils scored the next 24 points. The Bears were outgained 268-89 in the second half, and limping quarterback Nate Longshore tossed two second-half interceptions for the second straight week. ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter and the Sun Devils' ground game shredded the Cal defense to the delight of a sellout homecoming crowd of more than 71,000.

Two weeks ago, the Bears couldn't punch in a touchdown on four plays from inside the 2-yard line in a loss to Oregon State. Last week, it was Cal's turnovers and porous run defense that allowed UCLA to romp.

This time Cal receiver DeSean Jackson was at the heart of two reviewed plays that went the Bears' way and had them headed toward an apparent win. His 22-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was reviewed but upheld, and his apparent second-quarter fumble of a punt return was reversed because of an inadvertent signal by an official.

On the touchdown catch, Jackson tried to drag his left foot in the corner of the end zone, and the very close call went Cal's way. On the punt return, Jackson was hit by Chris Baloney and fumbled the ball inside Cal's 10-yard line, where Arizona State recovered. After a long booth review of the play, the play was ruled dead before the fumble because an official signaled with his hands above his head.

Both plays brought ire from the fans at Sun Devil Stadium. After the punt-return call, several fans threw trash on to the field, and the fans booed the officials every time they had a chance for the rest of the game.

It looked like the two controversial calls would help No. 18 Cal (5-3, 2-3) become the first to knock off No. 7 Arizona State (8-0, 5-0) this season, but the Sun Devils dominated the second half as they have all season.

Arizona State continued to win the way it has, outscoring Cal 10-0 in the second half, and is outscoring opponents 153-29 in the second half this year.

Cal coach Jeff Tedford talked this week about being a couple of plays shy of undefeated. Things finally went the Bears' way, but they couldn't take advantage.

The Bears went into the game knowing that a win would move them within a game of first place since UCLA had already fallen in surprising fashion to Washington State. Oregon and UCLA each has one loss, and USC and Oregon State are tied for fourth at 3-2.

Cal's quick start and 13-0, first-quarter lead came as it regained its ability to get pressure on the quarterback. Defensive end Rulon Davis, who hasn't played since Week 3 with a foot injury, returned the lineup and made an immediate impact. He recorded a sack on his first snap and forced a fumble with his second sack, setting up a 13-yard touchdown return by defensive end Cameron Jordan.

Since Davis was injured in the Louisiana Tech game, the Bears have averaged just more than a sack a game and have struggled to get off the field on third downs. With Davis in the lineup, Cal is averaging more than three sacks a game.

Arizona State converted on only three of 10 3rd-down tries and didn't get its first 1st down until the final minute of the first quarter. Along with Davis, linebacker Zack Follett, who also missed games because of injury, was also a mainstay in the Sun Devils' backfield.

Carpenter appeared confused and rattled most of the first half, completing only 3-of-15 passes for 45 yards. In Cal's 49-21 win over Arizona State last season, Carpenter completed 16 of 36 passes for 177 yards and a career-high four interceptions.

The trends between meetings carried over for Cal's offense, too. Longshore, who had 270 yards and four touchdowns against Arizona State last year, had 213 yards and a score by halftime this time around.

If there was anything wrong with Cal's offense, it was that it didn't completely cash in on all of its opportunities.

Before and after

Cal jumped out to a 20-7 lead early in the second quarter, but Arizona State dominated the rest of the game:

BEFORE: Cal scored on three of its first four possessions and held a 234-43 advantage in total yards. At that point, Cal had zero punts and zero turnovers. Arizona State, meanwhile, had three punts and one turnover, a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

AFTER: Arizona State dominated the rest of the game, outscoring Cal 24-0 and outgaining the Bears 331-100. Cal's final seven possessions resulted in five punts and two turnovers. The Sun Devils scored on four of their final eight possessions, two of which ended when time ran out in the halves, and punted only twice.

They were due

The Sun Devils hadn't beaten the Bears since 2000. Here are the Cal-ASU games from the Jeff Tedford era.

2002: Cal 55-38

2003: Cal 51-23

2004: Cal 27-0

2005: No game

2006: Cal 49-21

2007: ASU 31-20

Cal schedule

Date

Opponent

Time

9/1

Tennessee

W, 45-31

9/8

at Colorado State

W, 34-28

9/15

Louisiana Tech

W, 42-12

9/22

Arizona

W, 45-27

9/29

at Oregon

W, 31-24

10/06

Bye

10/13

Oregon State

L, 31-28

10/20

at UCLA

L, 30-21

10/27

at Arizona State

L, 31-20

11/3

Washington State

7 p.m.

11/10

USC

5 p.m.

11/17

at Washington

TBA

12/1

at Stanford

4 p.m.

No seconds for Cal

Cal's second-half scoring has been low for most of the season, and its rushing game has gone from very good to pretty bad. These trends came to a head at Arizona State.